1. Field of the Invention
The present invention broadly related to a flow valve and, more particularly, is concerned with a flow valve which provides two alternate paths along which to establish fluid flow through the valve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In each of the F-15 and F-16 aircraft, there is an onboard engine-mounted computer for controlling operation of the jet engine. The electronic components of the computer are cooled by circulating aircraft engine fuel as a coolant through heat transfer structures associated with the components.
However, because of other factors, these two aircraft must obtain coolant fuel for the electronic components of the engine-mounted computer from two different sources. Specifically, on the F-15 these components are cooled by fuel received directly from the engine fuel pump, while on the F-16 the coolant fuel is obtained from the air frame fuel feed line before it reaches the engine fuel pump.
Because construction of aircraft involves high precision fabrication and assembly of literally thousands of parts, there is an overriding desire to design as many common parts as possible for different types of aircraft. These common parts must be able to serve the specific requirements of each application while accommodating any variations or differences between them.